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For over 45 years, the Mayor's Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) has been working to combat poverty in our city, help Philadelphia's low-income residents realize economic security, and move into the middle class. Now, with more Philadelphians struggling to find work, make ends meet, and provide for their families, CEO plays a critical role in not only providing a safety net for families across the city, but in stabilizing communities and keeping our neighborhoods safe and vibrant.

Each year, CEO serves nearly 35,000 Philadelphia residents through one of its four central programs – Workwise, the Fatherhood Initiative, Foster Grandparents Program, and the Community Engagement Unit. Through these programs, Philadelphia residents are able to develop critical job skills and find work, older citizens are able to stay active and independent as they age, special needs children get access to mentoring and care, and low-income families learn how to access the resources they need to care for themselves and become self-sufficient. We are excited to be able to share a few of the success stories from these programs with you, and provide a picture of what these programs mean for their participants and for Philadelphia.

We also recognize that there are many more Philadelphians who need these kinds of support. This is an important step in an ongoing effort to ensure that Philadelphians and the organizations that serve them know what resources are available and how to access them.

Going forward, we must do more to collaborate with local residents and partner organizations to find innovative strategies to leverage our resources and address the needs of low income families. Because we know that their success is our success – our city cannot truly thrive unless our neighbors can find family sustaining jobs, and our children can grow up in safe and healthy homes. Together as a city, we must ensure that everyone has the tools they need to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency, so that we can strengthen our communities and keep our city growing and prospering.

Thank you for your commitment to a brighter future for our city and its residents.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Nutter
Mayor

Mission

Our mission is to provide leadership that strengthens and coordinates the City's anti-poverty efforts on behalf of its most vulnerable citizens and communities.

Vision

Our vision is a diverse, prosperous, and vibrant Philadelphia where all citizens are treated with dignity and respect — a city where the impacts of poverty are acknowledged and action is taken to support those most in need.